Welcome
Original Watercolour by Barbara Paleczny SSND
Thank you for visiting. This website presents background about my books and the people who helped along the way.
Summary for new visitors
The Tale of Indigo. Cover illustration by Barbara Paleczny
I published my first book, The Tale of Indigo, in November 2022. I would describe it as literary poetry. I quickly followed that first book with my debut novel, A Life on Water, in 2023. In November, 2024, I released A Bill to Pay, a two-act play.
Back cover of A Bill to Pay. Image by Patrick Blackler
Update for new visitors
This year, I released a second edition of A Life on Water with a new title, Breath of the Adamastor.
The new title reflects the deeper mythic and environmental layers at the story’s core. Breath of the Adamastor captures both the mood and the thematic focus more accurately, inviting new readers while offering a refined experience for those returning to the story.
I look forward to hearing your comments.
Timothy Paleczny
Ontario, Canada
A Life on Water (the first edition) featured this view of Lisbon from the Rio Tejo, illustrated by Helen Doner.
Switching to the new title in the copy on this website will take some time.
Rest assured that the story itself didn’t change much. The first chapter has a new opening and the transitions within chapter one flow more smoothly.
Newest Addition: PRESS ROOM
Professional materials for media reps, booksellers, librarians, educators, reviewers, podcasters, and book industry partners
Cavalarico Books provides curated information packages to support journalists, reviewers, librarians, educators, booksellers, podcasters, and book trade professionals.
These include press materials, metadata sheets, educational resources, backgrounders, and collaborative information to assist with coverage, acquisition decisions, programming, and professional partnerships.
See Press Room on the top navigation bar.
If you require additional materials or customized information, please contact us directly.
Press Contact: Timothy Paleczny
Cavalarico Books in Ontario, Canada
Email: Cavalarico@gmail.com
The new cover illustration was created by Suzanne Paleczny. The text layout was done by the author using GIMP software.
What I’m working on now
Bookstores and Libraries
Ingram Spark is now set up to deliver Breath of the Adamastor to the book trade across the globe, reaching 39,000+ bookstores and libraries.
Ingram Spark features a premium hardcover edition of Breath of the Adamastor in a dust jacket along with a trade paperback and ebook versions.
You may ask your library or bookstore for Breath of the Adamastor. Please do, in fact!
If you are a reviewer or represent a library or bookstore, look for Breath of the Adamastor in upcoming catalogues from Ingram Spark and eventually NetGalley.com, a promotional service I am setting up next.
Our bookstore is open
Screen capture of the feature on books.by/timothy-paleczny
You can order Tim’s trade paperbacks directly from our 'virtual' bookstore
print-on-demand
6x9-inch (152 x 229 mm) softcover format only
delivered to your door
To obtain Tim's EBOOKS
use this Universal Book Locator
https://books2read.com/u/mqA5aZ
which takes you directly to ONLINE STORES courtesy of Draft2Digital that now carry Tim's ebooks
Readers’ Comments
The overall effect
is excellent
“The characters are strong, the dialogue is well written and the story is excellent. The various storylines are built carefully and each is engaging. You feel that you know the characters. As they start to connect and weave together the overall effect is excellent.”
Mark Skalin
reviewing A Life on Water
More Graham Greene than James Bond, but more charm and warmth than either of them
“I’m a sucker for wartime shenanigans and science, so this was great for me, with spying and marine biology against the backdrop of WW2 Portugal, plus walk on parts for Ian Fleming and Kim Philby. The characters all came off the page. Pulling off multiple viewpoints and timelines is tricky but worked. The story weaves together a cast of characters as a nuanced way into the humanity and morality of the hard moral choices forced by wartime, more Graham Greene than James Bond, but more charm and warmth than either of them.”
Matthew Hurst
reviewing A Life on Water
A wonderful tale
of historical fiction
Set during the 1930s and 1940s in Portugal, A Life on Water is “full of detail, complex characters, and really interesting factual info concerning the activities of neutral countries during the war, the involvement of the church, etc. that is not well known … [and what] really stands out for me about your writing is how visual it is. You create a strong image of the time and place. I hope you are planning to write it as a screenplay. The imagery is magical, especially of the village and religious events. It would make a fantastic Netflix series.”
Suzanne Paleczny
Whitehorse